Blog
Our blog posts! Stay tuned for more…
How To Start an FTC Team
Sahil Sharma, June 9th 2022
Starting an FTC team can seem like a daunting task. And it often is. Kits are expensive,
fundraising can seem foreign, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We’ll share our story here,
in hopes that it will help others.
Perhaps the most important thing is to first take a look at FIRST’s website:
https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc/start-a-team
Again, it’s understandable that all the information can feel overwhelming! The first thing
you must do is find interested people! Having people to support and help you will make this a
much easier operation. Try to form a small group with people you know well, as this allows
for better communication and lets you get started quicker.
After that, you’re going to want to look for grants to get registered. This brings us to a
different point, ensure you start near the beginning of the school year! This is when all
grants were available… If you start near the end of the year, like us, you’re going to need on
either you school to provide funding for a kit (as our school did), or you’ll have to
fundraise!Perhaps you can host a bake sale or some school event! Remember, schools
sometimes have some allocated for STEM related activities, and don’t be afraid to ask them
for some funding!
Grant finder: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/team-grants
Currently, there is a rookie grant available. You’ll need a mentor / coach for your team to be
eligible for the grant. Typically, a mentor has robotics experience. However, this isn’t always
possible, so it’s also acceptable if your mentor is just a teacher you know well from your
school.
Now you have a mentor, a team, and hopefully some funding! The next step is to buy a kit…
If you search online, you should find one! We got ours from GoBilda, for 700 dollars. Note
that there are discounts if your team is based from a school, or if you officially registered
your team! Registering your team costs 250 dollars.